Expanding Manufacturing Operations in California
Over the past few years, the U.S. has seen tremendous growth in manufacturing operation and employment. This is true for almost every state. However, California manufacturing has experienced very little growth since the economy bottomed out in 2010. In fact, California has only experienced a gain of 1% in manufacturing since that time. The U.S. has experienced an average growth of 6.7% in manufacturing within this same timeframe.
Manufacturing Creates Jobs
One major factor affecting growth in California is the high cost of land and energy. Many California manufacturing businesses simply do not have the funding necessary to produce products or expand their operation. This has led to an increase of companies choosing to relocate manufacturing operations overseas.
The lack of manufacturing operations isn’t good for the millions of people that remain unemployed in California. Manufacturing creates numerous jobs for workers with a wide array of skillsets. The manufacturing industry provides high paying jobs for a less educated workforce. Manufacturing jobs pay these workers approximately 8.4% higher wages than jobs in any other industry.
Support California Manufacturing
Recently, Means Engineering’s General Manager, Tim Hetrick, visited Washington DC to help the California Manufacturer’s Technology Consulting (CMTC) obtain funding from the Federal Government to support manufacturing in California. The CMTC is a non-profit, focused on the development and support of manufacturing operations with less than 500 employees.
During his visit, Tim worked with individuals from the CMTC and other non-profit centers to lobby Congressional Representatives and Senators for full funding of the current budget as well as next year’s budget. This funding will be used to support and expand manufacturing efforts in California.
Funding is crucial if California manufacturing companies wish to remain afloat in an extremely competitive marketplace. Expanding manufacturing operations in California helps create jobs, increase local economies, and reduce the number of operations sent overseas.
Southern California Contract Manufacturer
Means Engineering, Inc. offers design, production, and testing of a wide range of products. Our team of engineers specializes in the production of electronic devices and their components. We have experience working with numerous industries including medical, aerospace, and defense. We are an AS 9100 and ISO 13485 certified contract manufacturer. Our headquarters are located in Carlsbad, California.
